Archive for the ‘fashion’ Category

Jeans, retail and innovation seems to be a pretty good combination. And this recently opened San Francisco shop is nice example to prove that again. The shop constructed from three shipping containers is now home to an even more intriguing inventory system. To maximize space, the Aether team incorporated a custom-built rotating rack that spans all three floors. Watch the short movie to see how it works.

Because the first slideshow compilation I made a year ago was so highly appreciated. I decided to make a new compilation of photos that caught my eye and reflects recent tendencies in retail branding and design.

Sustainable Jeans brand Mud Jeans has introduced “Lease a Jeans”. A rent a service they think make their already sustainable produced jeans affordable and even more sustainable.

When you pay your purchase you do not receive your receipt but a contract. Only ones you pay € 20,- for your jeans and after that for a year € 5,- per month. After a year you have paid eighty euros. What comes next is that you have three choices: you send the Mud jeans back, you choose a new one for € 7,50 or you pay for yet another four months € 5,- a month to wear your jeans.

When you want to return your Mud jeans after a view years, you get your warranty of € 20,- back for your next choice. The jeans will remain property by Mud Jeans because you are renting it.

An exciting initiative which stretches the boundaries of the temporary ownership economy.

In an extremely mature retail environment like Japan, retail is less generic and often very niche, specialized or single subject focused. An example of this single subject focused retail is lifestyle or gender orientated stores. One of the most recent cases is from Japanese mobile carrier DoCoMo who has just opened a new communications concept called The Shelf. It is a relaxing environment for young women where technology is being presented as part of people’s everyday lives rather than a (beautiful designed) technology orientated phone store.

Located in the backstreets of Omotesando (Tokyo, Japan) The Shelf has two floors to explore and test the communication technology, books, magazines and make-up. The first floor features four areas surrounding the themes of Travel, Work, Beauty, and Fashion. All the different services and products are curetted by a popular role model who represents one of the themes. They have collaborated in creating a space that shows how the smart phone integrates into everyday’s life for young women. The second floor is the café and lounge to sit down, enjoy tea, read a magazine and check out some make up.

The Shelf is a fascinating idea That is based around understanding lifestyle and need instead of features and models.

There is a new shopping experience that’s powered by robots and your smartphone. Founded by a former Amazon exec this shop has the potential to revolutionize the way we buy clothes! In the store customers can scan QR codes on jeans they like and robots will send their specific size to a designated dressing room.

The store carrying the name Hointer, located in the University District of Seattle, is still in beta mode and focuses on high-end jeans for male for now. But the company plans on selling all men’s apparel with various price ranges and eventually expands into the women and teen clothing worlds as well.

Main reason the focus is still men based is the simple fact that shopping is an arduous chore for most guys. They’d rather be efficient with their shopping, and Hointer gives them that with a tech twist. These shoppers are like hunters — that’s where the name “Hointer” comes from.

Why this concept is a glimps in the future? The design of the store requires less floorspace and fewer salespeople, which in turn allows Hointer to offer low prices and carry more stock. And the app allows Hointer to track everything in the store in real-time and lets customers rate clothing. Brands can then access that data via Hointer’s portal to see which apparel people tend to try on and not.

Now it is already so successful Hointer plans to open more stores in Bellevue, San Francisco and possibly abroad in Tokyo and Shanghai.

Brands have teamed up with famous individual designers or other brands for a while now, but Swedish retailer H&M taken this trend a step further by developing a clothing line for the book and movie Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The line was launched with a pop-up shop in the Meatpacking district in NYC, open only from December 14th to the 18th, 2011. This cross-promotion also refers back to the brands’ Swedish origins and celebrates a cultural path with an unconventional theme and attitude. Integrating brands and cultural events is a promising trend that benefits everyone involved, and is ideal for customers who are open to identifying with popular characters or social movements. We fully expect to see more of these cross-promotional activities as brands look to integrate themselves further into their customers’ lifestyle.